Memorial Day Tribute

[pete]

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The carol singing in full swing on board HMS STEVENSTONE, the First Lieutenant (Lieutenant P W Reid, RN) is playing the harmonium, while the Padre, the Rev C G Gardner, BS, BD RNVR conducts the singing. He is chaplain to destroyers and small craft in the Portsmouth Command and is the only Newfoundland Padre in the Royal Navy. He is 28 and has served 2 ½ years as a padre in Northern convoys, in destroyers and small craft.

[pete]

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NEWFOUNDLAND TROOPS IN ENGLAND: ARTILLERY TRAINING, 1942
Gunner Robert Rideout, a lumberman from Hermitage Bay, loads a practice shell into the breech during a trial run-through of a Newfoundland Heavy Artillery Battery, somewhere in England. The shell weighs 100lbs.

[pete]

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NEWFOUNDLAND TROOPS IN ENGLAND: ARTILLERY TRAINING, 1942
Ramming the shell home in a six inch artillery gun are (left-to right) Gunners Bill Clancey (from St Johns), Robert Rideout (Hermitage Bay), Arthur Bailey (Trinity Bay) and Sam Bayford (Buchans). They are taking part in a training exercise, somewhere in England.

[pete]

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NEWFOUNDLAND TROOPS IN ENGLAND, COMMANDO TRAINING, 1942
BSM 'Tosh' John (left) and Gunner Jim Cooper crawl through a barbed wire entanglement during training, somewhere in England. BSM John was a Commando in the British Army before being transferred to a Newfoundland Regiment and Gunner Cooper is a labourer from St John's

[pete]

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NEWFOUNDLAND TROOPS IN ENGLAND, COMMANDO TRAINING, 1942
Commandos of the Newfoundland Heavy Artillery Regiment crawl through barbed wire entanglements as part of a training exercise somewhere in England.

[pete]

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NEWFOUNDLAND TROOPS IN ENGLAND, COMMANDO TRAINING, 1942
Gunner Tom Grace, a Commando of the Newfoundland Heavy Artillery Regiment, crawls along the grass, a machete in his mouth, as part of a training exercise somewhere in England.

[pete]

EMPIRE - AND WORLD - PARTY: RADIO BROADCAST FROM THE OVERSEAS CLUB, ST JAMES'S, LONDON, 1942
A wide view showing proceedings at the Overseas Club in London. In the foreground and slightly to the left are the audience, and the band are on the left hand side of the photograph, with saxophone and trombone players clearly visible. In the background, a group of people are gathered around the bar, buying drinks. To the right of the photograph, surrounding the microphone, can be seen the two teams who are competing against each other in the quiz which will form part of the broadcast. The teams are 'Newfoundland', towards the right of the photograph, and 'Rest of the World'. Each team member has a piece of paper around their neck with their name on, so that the question master Joan Gilbert can recognise them.

[pete]

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<BIG><BIG>John W. Blake is a native Newfoundlander, proud Canadian and Vietnam Veteran. John was an U.S. Army Airborne Ranger serving with the 173rd and 75th Rangers. He has the honorable distinction of being the first Newfoundlander to earn the Green Beret.</BIG></BIG>
<BIG><BIG>Yet, after his sudden death, the result of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the Canadian government refused to allow his remains to be buried in the Field of Honor at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. The Field of Honor is the only existing military cemetery in St. John's.</BIG></BIG>
<BIG><BIG>John Blake's family has started a Nationwide Campaign to correct this wrong. </BIG></BIG>

[pete]

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God Bless all our people out there now in action from Newfoundland. What ever Army they are in worldwide, their blood is made of the same stuff. Damn the torpedos, Lets get the job done and finnish it for everyone in the free world and for the guys and girls who aernt coming back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju-fZVvuQBE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_S9P1kMNuM

SGT Don Lucas I had the pleasure of growing up with. RIP. Pro Patria!

<TABLE style="FONT-SIZE: 80%; BACKGROUND: #ccc; WIDTH: 100%" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Corporal</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Jamie Brendan Murphy</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Conception Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">RCR</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">27 January2004</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Victim of a suicide bombing while on patrol in a Iltis jeep.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE style="FONT-SIZE: 80%; BACKGROUND: #ccc; WIDTH: 100%" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Sergeant</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Vaughn Ingram</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Burgeo, Newfoundland and Labrador</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE style="FONT-SIZE: 80%; BACKGROUND: #ccc; WIDTH: 100%" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center" rowSpan=4>1 PPCLI</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center" rowSpan=4>3 August2006</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
All three soldiers killed, and nine wounded, during a RPG attack by insurgents.
<TABLE style="FONT-SIZE: 80%; BACKGROUND: #ccc; WIDTH: 100%" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Warrant Officer</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Richard Francis Nolan</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE style="FONT-SIZE: 80%; BACKGROUND: #ccc; WIDTH: 100%" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center" rowSpan=3>1 RCR</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center" rowSpan=4>3 September2006</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center" rowSpan=4>Killed during Operation Medusa while fighting with Taliban insurgents in Panjwai district west of Kandahar.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE style="FONT-SIZE: 80%; BACKGROUND: #ccc; WIDTH: 100%" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Sergeant</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Craig Paul Gillam</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">South Branch, Newfoundland and Labrador</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center" rowSpan=2>Royal Canadian Dragoons</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center" rowSpan=2>3 October2006</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center" rowSpan=2>Killed, when attacked while working on road construction project west of Kandahar.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE style="FONT-SIZE: 80%; BACKGROUND: #ccc; WIDTH: 100%" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Sergeant</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Donald Lucas</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE style="FONT-SIZE: 80%; BACKGROUND: #ccc; WIDTH: 100%" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Private</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">Kevin Vincent Kennedy</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center">St. Lawrence, Newfoundland and Labrador</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE style="FONT-SIZE: 80%; BACKGROUND: #ccc; WIDTH: 100%" cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center" rowSpan=5>2 RCR</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center" rowSpan=6>8 April2007</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND: #fff; TEXT-ALIGN: center" rowSpan=6>All six killed by a roadside bomb while riding in a LAV III 75 km west of Kandahar City near the border between Kandahar and Helmand provinces. One other soldier was seriously wounded, another lightly wounded, and two others escaped injury. They were conducting a convoy security operation in support of Operation Achilles. It was the single worst attack on NATO troops since June 2005 and the single costliest day of combat for Canadian troops since 26 members of the RCR were killed in Korea in 1953.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[Steve Campbell]

Thanks for really adding to my thread. It's what I had in mind, even more so. Speaking of Mount Pleasant Cemetary, I have been there many times as my grandparents are buried there.

[pete]

PLM 27 wreck

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-NkNMPVCRc

[Alan63]

1st of July 2006 90th Anniversiary

On the 1st of July 2006 I and my family attended the 90th Anniversiary Somme Commemorations and the 1st Ceremony we attended that day was at Beaumount Hamel to remember the men from Newfoundland who suffered the single biggest loss of any Regiment during the battle.Of the 801 men who left the trenches to attack the German lines only 68 men answered the roll call the next day.In late 1917 and after the Battle of Cambrai ,King George awarded the title Royal to the Regiment,the only regiment to have it bestowed upon it during WW1.Incidentally it was the first time since 1916 that the 2 regiments of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment had been back to the Somme together. Incidentally the Regiments are shown here formed up in one of the old trenches from were they went over the top in 1916.

[Alan63]

Another pic

The Caribou Memorial were you can walk up to and over look were these brave men attacked.I believe the idea of the Caribou is to show it is in mourning for its lost sons.

[Alan63]

another pic

My young son Darren in one of the old trenches,to the right of this picture is the line of attack.

[Alan63]

last pic

The wreath that was to be left at the base of the memorial before the ceremony took place.Can i add that this area is heavily cordoned of in places as there is unexploded munitions still about and signs warning about this.